Tabriz Bazaar Fire Damage Estimated at $1.2m

A blaze at the historic Tabriz Bazaar, northwest Iran, on Thursday is estimated to have caused losses worth 200 billion rials ($1.28 million) to the centuries-old site.
Mohammad-Hassan Talebian, a deputy at Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, made the announcement on Saturday, saying that the restoration of the historic bazaar, which dates back to 1,000 years, will start soon, Mehr News Agency reported.
“An agreement will be signed between ICHHTO and related organizations to commence the bazaar’s reconstruction project in the near future,” he said.
The fire was fully put out after six hours.
About 150 of the market’s 5,500 shops were damaged and 19 people suffered injuries.
Tabriz Bazaar has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010 and was mentioned by Marco Polo when he traveled the Silk Road in the Middle Ages. It has seen several fires in the past mainly because of flouting safety measures.
The cause of the fire has not been announced yet.